How about you? Do you have little baskets or bowls full of shells and rocks that you have collected from the beach or nature hikes? Kids are really good at picking up bits and pieces along the trail... and these bits and pieces always seem to find their way into your house no matter how hard you try to leave them be. Good or bad? Living on the coast gives me access to lots and lots and lots of sea shells and that is what I am using in this DIY, but you could just as easily use rocks, sticks or leaves. This craft doesn't really have a purpose, just a lovely way to display your bits of nature. Enjoy!

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What you will need: A plain tray. I picked up mine from Hobby Lobby for a couple of dollars. A can of spray paint. I really like this bronze metallic one. Bits and pieces of nature, whether it is shells, rocks, twigs or leaves. Lastly you will need you hot glue gun and lots of replacement sticks.
What to do: Start by spray painting your tray in a well ventilated area and set to dry. Then I took my time and played with the arrangement of the shells. You can do equal spaced rows or a more organic arrangement like this example. Have fun and play around & experiment. Then use lots of hot glue to secure your shells in place, careful with your fingers! Lastly I added a bit of twine around the handles of the tray. I think that the twine finished it off rather nicely. Simple and beach chic. And that is it! I do have some moss and rocks around and I think I will give those another go when I find an interesting piece of wood or another tray like this one. Thanks for stopping by!